Perpetual Healthy Eating and Fitness Rant & Rave thread

[Clementine]

well, obsessively worrying about an ingredient when you make decisions also on moral or religious reasons is not "making it look hard" but everyone can pick the level they feel most comfortable with.

I agree, but hard-core vegans who insist on telling others that they're doing it "wrong" because they're eating gelatin or honey or whatever aren't really helping the cause IMHO. I'm certainly not saying that people who want to eat 100% vegan shouldn't do so.

[merigayle]

I agree, but hard-core vegans who insist on telling others that they're doing it "wrong" because they're eating gelatin or honey or whatever aren't really helping the cause IMHO. I'm certainly not saying that people who want to eat 100% vegan shouldn't do so.

which is where if people are doing it for health reasons, they really do not need to be so stringent with their ingredient checking. And if you cook from scratch, then you do not have to worry

just a quick google search for Hostess, here are the ingredients in a twinkie

Enriched wheat flour, sugar, corn syrup, niacin, water, high fructose corn syrup, vegetable and/or animal shortening – containing one or more of partially hydrogenated soybean, cottonseed and canola oil, and beef fat, dextrose, whole eggs, modified corn starch, cellulose gum, whey, leavenings (sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda, monocalcium phosphate), salt, cornstarch, corn flour, corn syrup, solids, mono and diglycerides, soy lecithin, polysorbate 60, dextrin, calcium caseinate, sodium stearoyl lactylate, wheat gluten, calcium sulphate, natural and artificial flavors, caramel color, yellow No. 5, red #40.[12]


Though i remember it saying beef juice cause i had to take it home (in college) and make sure it did not say BEET juice.

[Magic Microbe]

I trust your sciency knowledge, MM!  Tell me about probiotics.  What are you doing?  I've really only heard the buzzword from Jamie Lee Curtis, I know very little about them.  I'll google as well, but I 100% trust you. 

Frankly I am very surprised you naturopath hasn't suggested it. Probiotics are actually really well studied and there are even clinical trials (one of which I was a reseracher on back in grad school).

Basically when looking for a probiotic you want
1) As many cells as possible. Some only have 2 billion cells but frankly that is really low because a lot of the cells are lost going through the stomach. 10-12 billion is far better.
2) A mix of bugs. The common ones are different strains of Bifidobacteria and different strains of lactobacillus. Every company has their own patented strains but most don't have any published research on them so a mix is better.
3) Taking it with dairy can actually protect the cells against the harsh condition of the stomach. Although if you are not doing dairy it comes in pill form that you can take with food.
4) If you want to take it in a yogurt or food product make sure that it is one with ADDED strains (preferrable the 10-12 billion cells mentioned above). What is in the product itself isn't going to be enough to make a difference.
5) Sometimes products also contain prebiotics which are basically just food for the bugs once they get in your body.

I will see if I can find some websites to link to.

[Courtney]

God, why would you put beef fat in a muffin??? 

Weird. 

[Courtney]

Frankly I am very surprised you naturopath hasn't suggested it. Probiotics are actually really well studied and there are even clinical trials (one of which I was a reseracher on back in grad school).

Basically when looking for a probiotic you want
1) As many cells as possible. Some only have 2 billion cells but frankly that is really low because a lot of the cells are lost going through the stomach. 10-12 billion is far better.
2) A mix of bugs. The common ones are different strains of Bifidobacteria and different strains of lactobacillus. Every company has their own patented strains but most don't have any published research on them so a mix is better.
3) Taking it with dairy can actually protect the cells against the harsh condition of the stomach. Although if you are not doing dairy it comes in pill form that you can take with food.
4) If you want to take it in a yogurt or food product make sure that it is one with ADDED strains (preferrable the 10-12 billion cells mentioned above). What is in the product itself isn't going to be enough to make a difference.
5) Sometimes products also contain prebiotics which are basically just food for the bugs once they get in your body.

I will see if I can find some websites to link to.

What are you doing?  Are you eating yogurt or taking a pill?  I could make smoothies with it in yogurt form (I don't really enjoy eating yogurt, but it's good mixed up with some berries!).  If you are eating it, what specific ones do you recommend? 

Could you hold my hand please?   

[Ergonomic Mouse]

I know you are addressing Anna... But I use Jarrodophilus brand in pill form. It has multiple strains.

http://www.jarrow.com/product/228/Jarro-Dophilus_EPS

[merigayle]

God, why would you put beef fat in a muffin??? 

Weird.

cupcake and let me look up my patient's probiotics.

[merigayle]

hmmm don't see it in her chart. she is a good friend of mine (and an RD) so let me email her and ask

[Magic Microbe]

What are you doing?  Are you eating yogurt or taking a pill?  I could make smoothies with it in yogurt form (I don't really enjoy eating yogurt, but it's good mixed up with some berries!).  If you are eating it, what specific ones do you recommend? 

Could you hold my hand please?   

I am taking a pill since I am trying to cut down on dairy. I am taking the CVS brand one with 10 billion cells. I haven't been taking it long enough to really see an effect though.

[merigayle]

I always thought probiotics had to be in the fridge?

also, most of the non dairy yogurts have probiotics in them too.

[diablita]

I always thought probiotics had to be in the fridge?

also, most of the non dairy yogurts have probiotics in them too.

Yes, I was told that the better ones were kept in fridge?

[Magic Microbe]

I always thought probiotics had to be in the fridge?

also, most of the non dairy yogurts have probiotics in them too.

Not necessarily. Lyophilized bacteria do not need to be kept cold.

[Courtney]

I know you are addressing Anna... But I use Jarrodophilus brand in pill form. It has multiple strains.

http://www.jarrow.com/product/228/Jarro-Dophilus_EPS

Thank you!!

[cgraz]

God, why would you put beef fat in a muffin??? 

Weird. 

It's confusing grammatically, but it is listed as a subset of ingredients in the shortening. Which is fat. Potentially from animals. So not entirely surprising.

[diablita]

I have to share that I have the most horrendous pimple emerging on my forehead.  It's taken days to even slightly get to the surface but it's now almost here.  I had to hide it w/ concealer at a party this weekend. 

I almost never get pimples (a few a year) so when it first started to show as this weird spot that was quickly getting bigger and darker I of course had a worry in the back of my head.  ha!  I wish this thing would just come out and get it over with already.

[merigayle]

Diablita-- i hate pimples, aren't we too old for that?

[cgraz]

I know, right? Wrinkles and pimples (on me!) and it just doesn't seem fair! 

[merigayle]

okie dokie, here is her email regarding the probiotics she recommends as an RD

Two kinds.
Theralac - has a patented way to protect the actual bacteria so more gets absorbed http://www.theralac.com/default.aspx

Renew Life- has many kinds, good brand, more strains and higher number is what is good, http://www.renewlife.com/probiotic-supplements.html

[Run Amok]

There are some vegan advocates who say that vegans would be a lot better off if they didn't make it look so hard (i.e. obsessively worrying about an ingredient that makes up <1% of a product, etc). Getting more people to eat "mostly vegan" (or even "sometimes vegan") would be way better for the planet/animals than saying "you're either in or out". (i.e. 100 people eating 80% vegan may be better than 20 people eating 100% vegan)

This might be true if by eating vegan you hope to change the world. Personally, I don't eat meat because I find it vile. I don't really give a flying fadoo what anyone else eats. I think proseletizing is annoying, no matter the goal.

[Courtney]

I just ran across this on a blog I read:

http://www.yumuniverse.com/2011/01/31/easy-coconut-kefir-yogurt/

It's about probiotics, so I figured I'd share.